For your table: What do you think? Did HUJI go too far on this one, or not far enough?

Shabbat Shalom

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Today's the 3rd day of Channuka; tonight the fourth night. For the five remaining nights, here are five questions to stump your table.

Q1: Which parts of Hannuka are the actual mitzvah, and which parts are custom?
The only mitzvah is to light one light per person per night. All
additional lights, songs, games, etc. are bonus-points. "The rest is
commentary" as the saying goes.

Q2: Why one per person? What’s the connection between the light and a person?
It says in Proverbs 20:29 “The lamp of God is the soul of a person”.
Rabbi Eliyahu Kramer of Vilnius (the Vilna Gaon) explains that the soul –
neshama – has the same root letters as oil – shemen. Just like oil is
contained in the wick and rises up, the soul is contained in the body
and rises. The flame of the candle is like the light that a person
brings into the world when learning Torah or doing a mitzvah. This model
gives you the essence of Hannukah; the rest is commentary.

Q3: What’s the best way to “do” Hannuka?
If you want to use the holiday to change yourself, to become a different
person, the main thing is to light the candle(s) and use them for
meditation or conversation for a half-hour or so. For that precious
time, focus on presence not presents. Stop running around, cooking etc
for that half-hour and find a way to get yourself and anyone with you
involved in the moment and to think about how your Torah and mizvot (a
little more or a little better) makes you a brighter light in the
darkness of these times. Everything else about Channuka is commentary.

Q4: What language must a Torah scroll be written in? And what's the Channuka connection?
Everyone thinks that the answer is Hebrew. According to the Talmud, a Torah scroll would be kosher if written in Hebrew or Greek
– i.e., Greek letters spelling Hebrew words. In other words, we believe
that the aesthetics of Hellenism can be made holy. Think about it:
Greeks exposed unwanted babies, Jews upheld the sanctity of life. Be cautious when embracing the arts and sciences — gotta lead with your ethical conscience. Make "pursuing good" your essence and "pursuing beauty" your commentary.Q5: How are you supposed to spell (C)han(n)uk(k)a(h) anyway?
Your guess is as good as mine.

The rest – the latkes, doughnuts, dreidel and all that – is, as we say, commentary...."Now go and study...."

Hannuka Sameach

Oy! You forgot a gift for someone? No problem: give them a subscription to the Amazing Nature for Teachers program - AmazingNature4Teachers.com. Great for a teacher, great for a parent, great for anyone who enjoys a daily dose of inspiration.

Friday, December 12, 2014

The
goal of this blog is to make you into your local Hannuka Hero. Please
read carefully and click, click, click (or tap, tap, tap).
Happy Birthday Calla - May you live in continued inspiration til 120!

This week's blog contains my Channuka gift to you.

It comes wrapped between two questions for your table.

The first question is about gift-giving itself.

What do gifts have to do with Channuka?

I mean did you ever just stop and think: "What's the connection?" - ??

I used to think there was no connection, that Channuka gifts come from Xmas-envy.

I was wrong.

But rather than spill the beans, let's make this the first question for your table:

Why do so many people like to give gifts specifically during Channuka?

Now, as you surely know from our cool Channuka Countdown Timer, you're running out one of the few things in life that is truly irreplaceable: time.

What's the ideal Channuka gift?Shabbat Shalom and Happy HannukaPS - Still looking for a meaningful and useful gift for a teacher in your life? How about a parent who is struggling to inspire her children? Send them a subscription to the Amazing Nature for Teachers program @ AmazingNature4Teachers.com.

Friday, December 05, 2014

The goal of this email is to add some controversy to your Shabbat table. Please print and share.

Important Channuka announcement #1: We have added a handy Hannuka-countdown timer to the JSL homepage.
Important Hanuka-announcement #2: We have added a slew of new Chanukka books etc. to bestjewishkidsbooks.com.

Just when you thought you'd seen it all....

Under the joyous holiday lights
march the righteous Seattleites.

They evidently consider the Treaty of Point Elliott (1855) to be fair and just and the Battle of Seattle (1856) decisive. Or perhaps they're doing penance for Seattle's founders, who (in the 1860s) banned Elliott Bay's native Duwamish people from their new town.

First question for your table: Why can't we all just get along?

The answer is that some people really don't want to get along with us.

They really don't.

That's what a certain wandering Jew said to me yesterday.

I reached him via Skype at his current abode on an island in the
Pacific. The main attraction there is scuba diving. He sent me some
images — Wow!

Here's the thing: this guy is literally on the other side of the planet
from his native New York. He's living a pretty easy life, running his US
business long-distance.

And what's on his mind (besides the situation in Israel)?

"Why does the Torah have animal sacrifices?"

(Note, he assures me that this question is not connected to the fact that he's an ethical vegetarian. His point is that it seems inexplicable that a transcendent, infinite God would want or need animal sacrifices.)

The second question for your table is a question about his question:Given all the things one could be thinking about, why do you think this bothers him so?

"Your religion was
written upon tablets of stone by the iron finger of your God so that you
could not forget. The Red Man could never comprehend or remember it." -
Chief Seattle

Shabbat Shalom

PS - Looking for an unusual Hannuka gift for a teacher in your life? Send them a subscription to the Amazing Nature for Teachers program - AmazingNature4Teachers.com.

PPS:

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